Government Eyeing Changes To Energy System To Reduce Costs and Emissions

The Government of Antigua and Barbuda is in discussions about instituting changes to the energy system of the country. Utilities Minister Melford Nicholas addressed the topic within a broader overview of the Government’s climate action initiatives, while also underscoring the economic advantages of such a move.

Nicholas shared his insights on Pointe FM, joining Prime Minister Gaston Browne in a discussion about the PM’s recent climate action advocacy at the United Nations General Assembly. According to Nicholas, the benefits of utilizing a solar energy hybrid system should not be overlooked.

“While we continue to act to engage internationally, there are some concrete actions that we have to take locally”, Nicholas stated. “In the wake of the 2017 Hurricane (Irma), one of the undertakings that the Prime Minister did was to say that we have to rebuild Barbuda better. And one of the areas that we were able to get international support was for a hybrid energy system in Barbuda. And the economic impact of that I cannot understate, because if we were to achieve a similar economic impact with similar hybrid systems in Antigua, the APUA’s coffers would be far more enhanced, and the domestic consumers would probably be paying a lesser rate for energy.”

Minister Nicholas’ remarks align with the growing demand from the public for reforms in the energy sector. Using Barbuda as a tangible example, he explained in specific terms how the sister isle benefits from their own updated system.

“Because the energy consumption of Barbuda is supplied via the sun during the day, we have to run the engines in the evenings. But because we’re not running the engines for the full day, there’s a savings in fuel; and it’s approximately 24%”, Nicholas explained. “We are spending 180 million dollars per year – APUA – on fuel. Now you can calculate a similar 24% of that and you would see what the savings would be if we were to have the changes to our energy mix.”

The government has publicly announced – many times over – its intention to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040. According to Nicholas, this position not only promises to advance climate action for the country but also offers financial benefits in the energy sector.

“There is an economic imperative for us changing the energy mix”, said Nicholas. “Every time there is a global issue that affects the supply of fuel, it impacts our consumers here. Every time we burn fossil fuels, we are contributing to the same climate change problems.”